The Delhi Police on Tuesday filed a chargesheet in a city court against two youths, Pradeep and Manoj for brutally raping a five-year-old girl two months ago, under stringent provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO). The newly enacted law entails maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
The police, in its chargesheet filed before Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Garg, said the evidence collected so far showed that the accused had raped the minor after kidnapping her and had left her confined in a room for two days. Manoj and Pradeep have been chargesheeted under various provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act relating to aggravated sexual assault and for offences including kidnapping, procuring a minor girl, wrongful confinement, attempt to murder and destruction of evidence under the IPC.
The kidnapping and rape of the minor in Gandhi Nagar in east Delhi had sparked public outrage against the alleged apathy of police in registering the case, leading to the suspension and transfer of cops of various ranks, including an ACP, caught on camera slapping a young girl who was part of a crowd protesting the incident.
ASJ Garg, presiding over the special court under the POCSO Act, took cognizance of the charge sheet and fixed the matter for July 1 for hearing arguments on framing of charges against both the accused, who are presently in judicial custody.
The offences, for which the accused have been chargesheeted, if proved, entails a maximum punishment of life term. They are accused of brutally raping the five-year-old girl on April 15 in a building in east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar locality where the victim and accused lived. The girl was rescued 40 hours later on April 17 and is under treatment at AIIMS.
The police said in the chargesheet that Manoj and Pradeep had intentionally kidnapped the child when she was playing outside her house and after confining her in Manoj’s rented room, they raped her. It also said that both the accused, with the help of each other, inserted candles and an oil bottle in the private parts of the girl.
The chargesheet further said that the accused had tried to kill the girl by strangulating and slitting her throat. It said that the accused had fled the spot after leaving the child in the room thinking that she was dead.To hide their identities and to escape from legal punishment, the accused had fled to their native places in Bihar, from where they were arrested later on, it said.